incorporating ux into an agile methodology
TRANSCRIPT
Incorporating UX into an Agile Methodology
Amy Powell | Texas Law
So What Is Agile?The Agile Manifesto
• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan
Main Parts of Agile• Stories - Key elements of the system (user
tasks)
• Backlog - Prioritized list of story cards
• Sprint - Developmental cycle
• Scrum - Daily team communication
• Burndown Chart - Chart that tracks works
• Spike - Time allowed to learn
Three Principles for Incorporating UX into
Agile
• Iterate: Make Mistakes Faster
• Scale: Do It With Less
• Simplify: Keep It “Good Enough”
“The main change for user experience practitioners who must support an Agile
team is in mindset.”
Iterate -Make Mistakes Faster
• Use Sprint Zero to your advantage
• Work one sprint ahead
• Think in small chunks
“By making your UX work predictive rather than reactive, you will have the answers to user experience questions
before the team asks.”
Scale -Do it with less
• Use low-fi work and guerrilla tactics
• Less reports, more action
• Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize
“The trick is to ensure that any small amount of up-front time that you have is
used wisely.”
Simplify -Keep it “good enough”
• Say NO
• Be okay with mistakes
• You don’t need to know it all up front
“Sometimes a team needs to fail slightly in order to realize they have a need for more or different data.”
How I Did It - Sprint 0
Lessons I Learned• It’s easy to second guess yourself through
the whole project. Don’t.
• Be flexible and PAUSE if needed.
• Listen to your team. Learn from them.
• When planning, think in smaller chunks.
Lessons I Learned• A slower pace doesn’t mean less productivity.
• It’s harder than you think to design mobile-first & atomically.
• Purposely make mistakes to find solutions.
• Design Studios are fun but a lot of work.
Deliverables Created in 10 Days
• Competitor Analysis
• Usability Tests & Highlight Video
• Personas
• Design Scenarios
• Online Survey
• Survey Results
• Sketched Wireframes
• Digital Wireframes
• Working Prototype
• User Stories
Final Thoughts on UX + Agile
• UX must work one step ahead
• Use design spikes
• Work as a team
• Work through chaos by prioritizing
• Always know the most valuable thing you can do
• UX is the gatekeeper role
"If there isn’t an evangelical, charismatic and well-respected individual on the team who will push the Agile process, become
that person."